After The Party...

The People You Meet When You Stay Out Past 2.

Our parents always told us that nothing good happens after midnight. As we got a little older, we took it upon ourselves to extended that rule to the time when the bars close. As we got a little more experienced in this thing called life, we just gave up on the rule altogether.

I mean, otherwise, how would we after-party?

To after-party, after all, is to live -- at least while you're still in your 20s. It's a staple of American culture, really.

And why not? A good after-party can encompass a wide range of human emotion. There's the promise that comes with extending the night a few more hours, the disappointment that comes when the alcohol supply is low, the rush that comes when someone unexpectedly arrives with enough booze for all to enjoy and, ultimately, the shock that comes when you look outside the window and see the sun starting to rise.

It's a good time, assuming you don't have to work the next day. That's all we're saying.

Well, that and, the somewhat sobering truth that, the more you after-party, the more you start to realize that, at their core, all of these late-night get-togethers are the same.

Don't believe us? We've illustrated a list of the people you'll meet at every after-party.